A pizza delivery man was attacked, injured, and robbed at about 11:49 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, and it turns out the robbers were inspired by a You Tube video.
The 24-year-old delivery person was delivering a pizza from Red Rooster Pizzeria to the 700 block of Virginia in Holiday West mobile home park, to what turned out to be a recently vacated home. When he got out of his vehicle, he was attacked by a masked male wielding a spindle from a deck railing.
Sumpter Township Police Detective John Toth said the driver was hit on the head and suffered two lacerations, indicating he was probably struck twice.
The driver was robbed of about $200 in cash while he was on the ground. A second man appeared. Both wore masks and the victim couldn’t tell the race of his assailants, but could tell they were males.
The driver returned to the business and called 911. He received treatment at the scene and then was transported to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.
Just seven hours later a man who lived two blocks over from the scene of the robbery told Sgt. John Ashby that two people were in his back yard the previous night and he confronted them and there were some back and forth obscenities.
The man recognized the 14-year-old person in his backyard and watched when he went to his Oregon Street home.
There were items dropped in the man’s flower garden that connected the juvenile to the robbery, as well as clothing matching the driver’s description.
Sumpter Police invited the juvenile and his mother in for a talk and Det. Toth said the boy confessed. He was turned over to the juvenile court system.
His alleged partner in the robbery, Sean Anthony Hatchard, 17, also of Holiday West mobile home park, also confessed, Det. Toth said.
He was arraigned Friday on armed robbery charges and a bond of $30,000 or 10% bond was set. He will go through a pre-exam and may have a preliminary exam on May 30 at 34th District Court.
Det. Toth said Hatchard said the robbery was inspired by the “Hell Yeah” song on You Tube by the Dead Prez group. They planned the robbery just like the song where the group was hungry, so they hauled out the yellow pages, ordered a pizza and then attacked the pizza delivery man and took his money and the pizza.
Hatchard said they were hungry, poor and broke, just like the song, so they ordered a pizza and set upon the delivery man and beat him without even asking for his money, which they took. Then they ate the pizza.
Home Invasion
At about 11:24 p.m. Saturday, May 5, a man walked in on a home invasion under way in his home in the 27000 block of Sumpter Road.
Det. Toth said the man heard noises in the back of his home and thought it was his daughter, so he called out.
He found two black males running out to a truck. The truck headed northbound, he told police.
Multiple items, including electronics, had been stolen and there was damage to the back door where entry was made.
A witness validated the report by saying he also observed the truck heading northbound from the home.
Anyone with information is asked to call Sumpter Township Police, 461-4833, ext. 305.